Andy Warhol Documentary Notes

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Andy Warhol’s Early Life

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Andy Warhol was a American Artist. He presented culture we live in, and the entire culture of the post war years. Many view his work as revolutionary and believe a world without Andy Warhol would look very different, due to his impact on the thing’s society look at the most, like supermarket shelves and packaging.

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Starting out, Andy Warhol was not what others perceived a ‘artist to be.’ He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United Kingdom in a small two room apartment. He had a deprived family background, but this did not affect Warhol and that is what the media found fascinating. Andy Warhol started from nothing, and by the 1960’s he became one of the most influential artists of his time. Warhol’s mother Julia Warhol was a hard-working woman, with a passion for drawing which is how Andy Warhol began his art journey, she worked every where she could to provide for her family. As a family they were very devoted to church, walking three miles to get to their church. Within their church, was simplistic biblical artwork, in a grid like method. Which is though to be being a path of influence for Andy Warhol’s work.

Throughout Andy Warhol’s early life, he would to the opportunity to draw with every chance he got. Allowing his mother to notice he was different to his siblings, not onto with his creative nature. Warhol was a very sensitive and frail child, devoting his time to delicate drawings instead of playing games with his brothers. He developed a illness, effecting his nervous system forcing him to no longer attend school. Although this seemed a disadvantage, this is when he learnt all of his mother’s skill in regard to drawing, as she would give him drawing lessons while bedridden. This time also allowed him to create a amazing focus, and control his minds ability to focus on something such as drawings for hours. His mother would reward each finished drawing with a bar of chocolate.

Furthermore, at the age of 9, Andy Warhol’s mother enrolled his in several free art classes. Which took place in the upper-class area nearby to where Warhol and his family lived. After Warhol’s classes he spent houses wondering around the gallery observing the fine art. Not long after this his father died, and his mother was diagnosed with cancer.

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Andy Warhol as an Artist

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As an individual Andy Warhol had power, due to the complexed nature of his personality, but his work appeared so simple in a visual manor. Despite this Warhol wanted the audience to see in clarity, and simply see what was depicted. Warhol always described him self to not work with a idea, and for his creations to not necessarily have an initial concept, but yet his work could still be read and be a suggestion of life and philosophical meaning. 

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The main concept that Warhol completely flipped on its head during his years of inspiration was Americas commercial culture. He primarily explored the commercial mechanical reproduction process and used it in his work to develop how to evolve. Forcing culture to observe the new upcoming culture in a reinvented matter.

Once Warhol had moved to New York, his progression within the art world began to grow. Despite this his work was viewed as commercial, creating a problem for Warhol. He wanted to make it in the fine art industry, and become famous, and with a commercial background this proved very difficult. His work was perceived as figurative and abstract therefore it was not perceived as ‘serious art.’ Andy Warhol began to become involved in the abstract expressionism group, and due to his commercial background, many designers were not willing to pay any attention to his work.

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By 1959 Andy Warhol purchased his first town house home, with his mother living in the basement. Andy Warhol believed you had to change time yourself and culture would transform the meaning of art and the world around them. Therefore, his concept of art and the new America is what lead him to become who he was. Even with the contribution of new movements Warhol believed even if you change the art you must change the society.

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With the introduction of Jasper Jones, in the art industry his work became popular own night. Jones would paint everyday objects. Later, Jones’s art influenced the theme of obstruction, linking to abstract expressionism.

In 1958 Warhol decided he wanted to progress to become an Avant Garde Painter, where he was ignored by the painters within the style due to his commercial background and sexuality.

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The key moment in Andy Warhol’s Career was 1961 when his first ‘Pop’ style art was recognised. Warhol began working on pre-existing media images and reworking with them. Using daily objects from comic books, magazines, and tabloids. His paintings were initially started through tonal illustrations, using line drawings from advertisement. To work on a larger scale, he then projected the illustrative drawings on to a wall and traced them. After meeting two pop-artist leaders Warhol produced a series of paintings, where all drip effects and brush work was illuminated, which he was sceptical about and he began experimenting with abstract and pristine illustrations and began to prefer the neat illustrations. This adjustment to his artwork began to mean colour was added in block sections creating flatter drawings they became less like ‘paintings.’ Which was very unknown in the 1950’s and created controversy due to its flatness and untraditional impact. Due to the controversy nature of the new work, he produced he wanted to create more likable work, and something more personal. This is where he initially got his inspiration for average daily items to be painted, simply like ‘cans of soup.’ Where he began to experiment with rendering soup cans and the subject compositions when arranged together.

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In 1962 Warhol’s new idea of painting daily object took off, painting all 32 varieties of the Campbell’s soup cans. Later to be the signature turning in Warhol’s career, and creating the Pop-art movement. Still at this point Warhol used repetition and series, which was also a staple of Andy Warhol’s work. He did this by using stencils, silk screens and later photographically silkscreened allowing the image to be repeated similarly many times from his personal illustrations.

Andy Warhol’s Repetitive series of Campbell’s Soup illustration artwork became a popular statement piece of his work and held great power. Due to the success this series of 32 paintings had caused, Warhol soled them for £1000, and they were recently sold as the series for $15million to The Museum of Modern Art, along with additional paintings being sold. The paintings are viewed to be irreplaceable pieces of art.

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Additionally, Warhol began using silkscreen to produce portraits, in an influential way. He painted the background image first and then screen printed on top of his brushwork. Warhol’s portrait of Marilyn Monroe was produced using this method. Some were produced in colour, along with black and white, additionally the blotting method was used creating another Andy Warhol series. Due to the colour’s portraits being produced through the use of photographic silkscreen, the series held expression and texture because the screen became clogged with ink, and this is presented with in the series and Warhol liked it this way as it had meaning and expression.

Throughout his Teen Years

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In August 1945 at the age of 17 Andy Warhol became a art student. Andy Warhol was able to enrol at this art school because his father left tuition money for him, because he believes in Andy. Despite being passion about art, he was almost expelled for not passing his first year ‘thought and expression,’ which he later reinstated meaning he could continue with his place as a art student. Andy Warhol discovered many techniques during his time as a art student. One being ‘Blotted Line technique’ where he would use ink to draw a image and blot the onto another piece of paper. From this technique series was created and Warhol was able to create multiple copies from one drawing. Forming the base of his career.

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In 1949 at the age of 20 Andy Warhol decided he was going to New York, despite of his Mothers negative opinion of it being a bad decision. During this time Warhol got his first job at Glamour magazine, hired by the director, to be an illustrator for articles. His first published drawing was produced in September 1949. Therefore, he began to earn his way from illustration. During his time illustrating he used some techniques learnt while studying at art school consisting of ‘Blotted Line Technique’ which he had perfected. The technique he used had a printed effect to it, which the art directors loved, due to it communicating demand and it being printed multiple times showing it was well liked. Therefore, he continues experimenting with print making, colour and repetition.

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As an individual Andy Warhol had very low self-esteem and was always conscious about his height, nose, and skin. Leading him to have his nose reconstructed and his skin smoothed out at the age of 25. He also began to wear lightly toned hair wigs. Since a child Warhol always wanted to be famous, and this grew more once moving to New York. He began to try chasing fame by obsessing over Truman Capote and trying to get in contact with him, along with hanging around his house to try and see him. After a long period of Warhol trying to do so, Truman Capote rejected him. Which Andy Warhol later turned into an exhibition on July 3rd of drawings based on what Truman had wrote about Warhol, but none of the pieces sold.

Reference:

Andy Warhol Documentary Film Part 1 of 2, The Art Channel, You Tube.  (November 9,2013. ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQXpqQO4vaE [02.03.2021]